In the fast-paced world of business leadership, effective delegation is key to maintaining balance and efficiency. Drawing insights from experienced CEOs, this article uncovers strategies to help you empower your team and reclaim your personal time. The first insight emphasizes the importance of empowering the team by assigning tasks to their strengths, while the final tip encourages refining work to maintain quality. Dive into this compilation of nine expert insights to revolutionize your approach to delegation and reduce stress.
- Empower Team by Assigning to Strengths
- Trust and Verify
- Understand Team Members’ Interests
- Implement Weekly Task-Handoff Meetings
- Rotate Leadership Roles Within Projects
- Delegate Outcomes, Not Just Tasks
- Assign Senior Associates as Project Leads
- Adopt the Ownership Model
- Refine Work to Maintain Quality
Empower Team by Assigning to Strengths
I’ve learned that delegation isn’t just about offloading tasks—it’s about empowering your team to grow. I’ve found that the most effective way to free up my time is by assigning tasks to team members’ strengths and giving them all the resources and authority to run the show. When you trust your people and give them room to shine, they often surprise you with their capabilities.
I’ll be honest, letting go wasn’t easy at first. But once I started focusing on the big picture and letting my team handle the details, I saw a huge change. Not only did I have more time to strategize and unwind, but my team became more confident and productive. It’s a win-win that’s helped me build a stronger business while keeping my stress levels in check. Trust me, when you empower your team, you empower yourself, too.
Justin Smith
CEO, Contractor+
Trust and Verify
Delegating tasks and empowering team members to take on more work is something nearly all of my C-level clients focus on with me. Some simple tips include knowing what to delegate by prioritizing tasks that will free up significant time and mental space, selecting the right people to delegate to by matching tasks to strengths, and giving clear, specific instructions on the task’s objectives, deadlines, and expectations. Always provide context by outlining how the task fits into the larger organizational goals. This ensures team members understand they are contributing to something bigger than the task itself.
Beyond these tips is the leadership principle of “trust and verify,” which emphasizes trusting your team to carry out tasks while ensuring accountability through follow-up and oversight. Trust means empowering your team with the freedom to make decisions and take ownership of their tasks, rather than micromanaging. When team members feel trusted, they are more likely to be creative, resourceful, and motivated.
Verify means creating accountability to ensure tasks are being completed correctly and on time, and establishing feedback loops to address roadblocks or issues early and often.
I’ve had the great pleasure of watching many CEOs delegate and empower their teams, allowing them to create more time to work on the business rather than in the business. For example, one of my clients recently delegated the management of his organization’s ERP system to a direct report. This system was often a source of frustration in our coaching conversations, and he recognized that the mental space it occupied was pulling his attention away from other work—specifically, strategic initiatives to expand the business.
Though it was challenging to surrender control of the system (we worked through many limiting beliefs during coaching), by following the principle of trust and verify, the transition was successful. Lo and behold, the team member who now owns the system has come up with innovative ways to leverage it, saving the organization both time and money—a true win-win scenario.
Emily Golden
CEO & Strategic Talent Advisor, Golden Resources, LLC
Understand Team Members’ Interests
As a CEO, I’ve learned that delegating tasks is important for making time to unwind and keeping stress in check. I realized that getting to know my team better was key. I started asking important questions to understand their strengths and interests, and we even did some personality tests to identify what they were naturally good at.
For example, one of my team members was hesitant about taking on new projects. By having those conversations and understanding her personality, I discovered she excelled at managing details and organizing workflows. I encouraged her to take the lead on a project that played to those strengths.
Not only did this lighten my load, but it also gave her the chance to shine and grow in her role. It’s amazing how empowering the right people for the right tasks can make a difference—not just for me, but for the entire team!
Taylor Kovar
CEO, The Money Couple
Implement Weekly Task-Handoff Meetings
To create more time for myself as a CEO, effective delegation is key. I focus on empowering my team by clearly defining roles and responsibilities. One particularly effective strategy has been implementing a weekly “task-handoff” meeting. In this meeting, team leaders present their current tasks and identify areas they can delegate to others.
For instance, after a recent handoff meeting, we reassigned marketing analytics to our marketing manager, allowing me to focus on strategic planning. This change not only freed up 10 hours of my time each week but also boosted team morale, as employees felt more involved in decision-making. By fostering trust and providing autonomy, I create an environment where my team thrives, and I can unwind and recharge, knowing the business is in capable hands.
Chaitsi Ahuja
Founder & CEO, Brown Living
Rotate Leadership Roles Within Projects
A method I’ve adopted is rotating leadership roles within projects, allowing different team members to lead aspects of our work based on their strengths and development goals. This not only develops their skills but also diversifies the understanding of different facets of our business within the team, reducing the dependency on me to guide every detail. This delegation enhances team capacity and allows me to take a step back and focus on broader strategic issues or personal downtime.
I often delegate critical-thinking tasks by setting up structured brainstorming sessions that others lead and then review the results. This not only empowers the team to develop solutions independently but also enables me to stay connected to the process without being deeply entangled in every step. This strategic delegation has been crucial in freeing up my time for strategic thinking and personal well-being.
Alari Aho
CEO and Founder, Toggl Inc
Delegate Outcomes, Not Just Tasks
I’d be lying if I said I have fully figured this out because I will still find a way to fill every piece of my time that gets freed up. Non-leadership non-negotiables to reduce stress are always scheduled in my calendar as protected time, but keeping them that way requires employing one strategy I’ve found particularly effective. It’s rooted in two key principles: knowing what genuinely needs your involvement and empowering your team to grow and lead.
The biggest challenge for many leaders is letting go of the instinct to stay involved in everything. Early on, it’s easy to be the go-to person for every task, but as responsibilities grow, this becomes unsustainable. The key to delegation is remembering to be more essential but less involved. The Law of the Lid, as John Maxwell puts it, means your team can only grow as far as your leadership capacity allows—and that capacity increases when you empower others to take ownership. It’s an investment in your team that pays dividends to your time.
How? One approach to this that I use is delegating outcomes, not just tasks. This means focusing on the “what” rather than the “how.” Instead of prescribing every step, I explain the results we aim for and let my team figure out the best way to achieve them. This gives them the autonomy to problem-solve, freeing me from micromanaging the details. Not only does this give me more time, but it also fosters innovation and increases your team’s competencies as they learn and grow.
Another reminder I give my team to help our efficiency is to manage me! Often, I catch myself diving into the weeds of a project that my team can handle. Sometimes they’ll nudge me, “Do you really want to spend your time on this?” That push reminds me to trust them to get the job done. This has become part of our culture—it’s not just about delegating downwards but allowing my team to manage me when I overstep.
Finally, practicing selective involvement is key. There will always be more things to do than time allows, so I’ve learned to be strategic in what I take on. When new requests or projects come my way, I assess whether they align with our big-picture goals. Saying no is as much a strategy as the things you say yes to.
Delegation isn’t just about dumping tasks. It’s about empowering your team to grow and lead and trusting them to deliver results. This frees up my time and builds a culture of accountability and leadership, allowing me to step back, unwind, and focus on what matters most.
Fahd Alhattab
Founder & Leadership Development Speaker, Unicorn Labs
Assign Senior Associates as Project Leads
I delegate certain tasks by assigning senior associates as “case leads” on specific matters. This allows me to step back from the day-to-day management of individual cases while still maintaining oversight at key milestones. I empower my team by giving them clear authority to make decisions and by offering support when needed, which builds their confidence and allows me to focus on larger strategic goals.
By trusting my team and creating structured systems of delegation, I’ve been able to carve out more time for myself and reduce the stress of constantly being involved in every case detail.
Ross Albers
Founder & CEO, Albers & Associates
Adopt the Ownership Model
Delegation is absolutely crucial for any CEO who wants to avoid burnout and actually have a life outside of work. It’s not about dumping tasks on others, though; it’s about strategically empowering your team to take ownership and shine.
One strategy I’ve found incredibly effective is the “ownership model.” Instead of just assigning tasks, I give team members entire projects or areas of responsibility. I clearly define the goals and expectations, provide them with the resources they need, and then step back and let them run with it.
This does a few things like free up my time, develop my team, and boost morale. Of course, I’m still there for guidance and support, but the ownership model allows me to focus on high-level strategy and those things only I, as CEO, can handle. It’s a win-win for everyone, and it’s made a huge difference in my ability to unwind and recharge.
Now, beyond individual projects, another game-changer has been setting up an “on-call” system for both engineering and business metrics. We have a rotating schedule where different team members take turns being the point person for monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) and addressing any urgent issues that arise.
This not only distributes responsibility and prevents any single person from being constantly bombarded, but it also fosters a deeper understanding of the business across the team. Everyone gets a chance to be in the driver’s seat, analyze the data, and take action when needed. It’s been incredibly effective for freeing up my time and reducing stress, knowing that there’s always someone knowledgeable and capable keeping an eye on things.
JJ Maxwell
CEO, Double Finance
Refine Work to Maintain Quality
Refinement is the key to effective delegation for our Empathable team. Instead of relying on simple review, building in a phase of refinement allows you to insert your own voice at a specific moment in the process. This approach empowers your team by letting them know their work will be adjusted, but not in a way that undermines their contributions. Refinement strikes a balance—offering both creative freedom and alignment with the company’s vision.
When done well, it ensures the final product reflects Empathable’s mission without the need for constant oversight or micromanagement. Delegation is not about handing off work entirely but about creating a structured space for improvement. By signaling that refinement will occur, you maintain quality and style without disempowering your team. Ultimately, this process ensures that everything presented to clients or the public carries your personal and professional stamp.
Micah Kessel
CEO, Empathable